Biography of Daphne du Maurier Rebecca Frenchman's Creek

Biography of Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier and Fowey's associations date back to the war period, when as with the heroine in her novel 'Frenchman's Creek', she brought her children to a live in rented accommodation in Readymoney in 1942. Later in 1945 she moved to mammoth Menabilly on the Rashleigh Estate which is again near Fowey. This creaking old house was the inspiration for Manderley, ""That's not the Northern lights. That's Manderley!"" in her most successful novel, made film by Hitchcock - Rebecca. Once quoted as saying writers should be 'read rather than seen', Du Maurier shunned the public spotlot believing, says Richard Kelly for an interview with her, that success was a very personal thing.

Du Maurier was particularly encouraged by her father, George du Maurier, who was a wealthy author himself, and a Punch cartoonist, actor-manager and matinee idol. Both her father and husband Major, later Lieutenant-General, Sir Frederick Browning were key figures in her life, and after Browning's death in the 1960s, du Maurier preferred a quiet reclusive life with her memories. Her youth had been a bright one, with no financial worries and room to travel with friends and write freely, encouraged by her father. The 1930s were certainly a prolific decade, with Jamaica Inn in 1938 and Rebecca in 1939. Du Maurier continued to write into the 1970s, however, and not just fiction but also histories and studies of Cornwall and, alongside an obsession with her own ancestors and family tree, a biography of her father - 'Gerald a Portrait', and her family in 'The Du Mauriers'.

Her readership was largely women, and she certainly cultivated it, dramatising their fantasies and dreams. But novels like Rebecca, which she claimed was actually meant as a study of jealousy, were dark with a gothic edge and twinge of the Freudian Oedipal with father figure Maxim, ""I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool"". She certainly played with the romantic novel genre, much like Agatha Christie and her early murder mysteries. Both these authoresses produced popular works, yet did something different with their chosen genres.

Visiting the Fowey area and coastline is to take in the flavour of Du Maurier novels indeed, and a must for fans. Visit in mid-May to co-incide with the superb Daphne du Maurier festival, and make your starting point the little Du Maurier Literary Centre in Fowey. ""Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again"".

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Daphne du Maurier Festival & Literary Centre

The Daphne du Maurier Literature Centre, adjacent to the 15th Century church of St Fimbarrus which marks the end of the Saints Way, is a must visit for du Maurier fans and other local authors in the area including Kenneth Grahame, Leo Walmsley and Sir Arthur Quiller Couch. Start your South Cornwall du Maurier trail here, with an exhibition and photographs, plus a great gift shop selling all her works from Rebecca to Frenchman's Creek, to The Birds!

The Daphne du Maurier annual festival in mid-May contains plenty of themed Du Maurier talks, guided coastal walks 'looking for Manderley etc., but also brings together a host of literary and celebrity stars, to mention a few previous visitors - Germaine Greer, Toyah Wilcox, Pam Ayres, Kathy Lette and more. Literary star talks, guided walks, a choice of plays and theatre performances, local music, various exhibitions, garden and flower shows and talks by notables such as David Frost and Shirley Williams - it's all wheeled out here at the Du Maurier annual festival in Fowey and surrounds. Held in mid-May, check the weblink to the right for the next festival line-up!

For Daphne Du Maurier themed walks, check out the Blue Badge weblink right, for 'My Cousin Rachel with Cream Tea'! Fantastic. Cornish Riviera Guides, 11 Woodland Avenue, Tywardreath, Par, Cornwall, England PL24 2PL. Tel +44 (0)1726 813 463 ~ Mobile 07770 725 916.

Open Daily 9.30 am - 5.00 pm, and later during the Festival and summer holidays. The Ticket Shop & du Maurier Literary Centre, 5 South Street, Fowey PL23 1AR. 01726 833616 / 833619.

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